The Abandoned Luna's Journey to Power Chapter 315: Lily Is a Victim Too

Cindy's POV:

I walked slowly to the six large chests and placed my hand on one of the heavy lids. I gave it a light pat. "Lily," I said calmly, "I heard that the cosmetics shop you opened with Isabella has been losing money every year because of poor management. Although she owns seventy percent of the shares, she has never received a single dollar in dividends, and you have been asking her for large subsidies year after year to cover the losses. Is that correct?"

The moment she heard the words "cosmetics shop," Lily's pupils shrank.

She glanced at Margaret in panic, but she quickly forced herself to look calm again.

"So what if that's true?" Lily said through clenched teeth. Then she began to complain. Her acting was almost flawless. "Aunt Isabella, you know how hard business is these days! The big brands keep raising their wholesale prices every year. The store rent is ridiculously expensive. When we close the books at the end of the year, the numbers are all in the red. We need to pump extra money just to pay next year's rent. I've been so stressed I can't sleep at night. And now you bring an outsider here to question me?"

"Business is hard?" I continued gently. "That must be exhausting for you. Since we're talking about fairness, let's first confirm the contract."

I looked straight at Lily, my tone turned formal. "According to the original agreement, Isabella owns seventy percent and you own thirty percent. Correct?"

"Correct," Lily answered without hesitation. She even straightened her back. "It's written clearly in black and white. I work hard, but Aunt Isabella holds the bigger share."

"Good."

I nodded. My voice turned cold, like ice in the dead of winter. "Since you admit the share ratio, that makes this simple. The royal treasurer worked overnight to audit your accounts. And they found something very interesting."

I suddenly kicked open the lid of the first chest.

Bang!

The heavy wooden lid flew open. Inside were piles and piles of accounting books.

"The cosmetics shop named ‘Allure' hasn't lost a single dollar. On the contrary, it's been extremely profitable. In just the first three quarters of this year, revenue reached 73,000 gold coins. Over the years, total profits have exceeded 200,000 gold coins."

I pulled out one of the ledgers and threw it onto the coffee table in front of Lily.

"Lily," I said calmly, "were you losing sleep because counting money all night made your hands cramp?"

Lily looked like she had been struck by lightning. Her pupils trembled violently.

"T-This is fake! That's impossible!" she screamed, stepping backward in panic. Her voice cracked from fear. "You forged those books! You're framing me!"

"Enough!"

Margaret, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly shouted.

She was truly cunning.

The moment she saw the ledgers, she knew there was no point denying anything. The books were clearly the real records taken straight from the cosmetics shop.

Without hesitation, Margaret swung her hand and slapped Lily hard across the face.

Smack! The sound was sharp and loud.

Lily fell onto the couch, clutching her cheek. She stared at her mother in disbelief, as if she couldn't understand what had just happened.

"You foolish girl!" Margaret shouted, pointing at her. She looked furious, but her eyes were already softening toward Isabella. "What have I always taught you? I told you to help Isabella manage the business properly. And what did you do? You let your staff deceive you!"

Then Margaret turned to Isabella. To everyone's surprise, tears even welled up in her eyes. "Isabella, this is my fault. I did not discipline her well," she said, her voice trembling. "Lily is still young. She doesn't understand business. She handed everything to Maria. It must be that dishonest manager! She kept two sets of books and cheated both sides. She stole the profits and tricked you into giving subsidies. Lily is just a foolish child. She's a victim too!"